SA, not loading properly

Question

Since last month (Feb 2019) support assist has not been launching properly.   Running Windows 10 pro version 1803 In windows 10 app settings shows I have version 3.1.30.0 using 16 kb data (right click on app in list and check app settings).  If I check control panel programs I see I have version 3.1.0.142 (149mb) Since the new version of SA last year I have had to install and reinstall several times but this always worked to fix whatever the problem was, not this time.  Now, when I click on SA in the start list of apps nothing happens.  I never got a SA desktop icon ever when I installed SA so cannot click on that.  I read in a post (sorry cannot find it now--too many SA concerns posts to look through) that I could do a workaround with the command prompt to launch support assist and that works (change to the support assist agent bin subfolder and then run supportassistUI.exe launch).  And the SA runs ok. My question is, is this the only way to now launch SA?  Or is this being worked on?  Is there something else I need to do to get SA to launch properly by clicking on it in the app list rather than always having to go via command prompt? Thanks for any help anyone who has a fix can give.  Or any information related to this concern.  If I just have to wait it out until all is fixed that would also be good to know.

Martin B · Answer

I have the same problem (SupportAssist 3.1.0.142 on a Dell XPS 8900 running Windows 10 1809). To begin with (mid-January 2019) SupportAssist would not update - it opened, but then tried to update itself and stuck at the progress bar. In the end I uninstalled it completely but then it would not re-install. The only clue was that my online backup program Carbonite would not update or re-install either. Carbonite Tech Support tried creating a new Administrator User Account and Carbonite installed successfully from there and now runs normally. I subsequently tried installing SupportAssist from the new User Account and the install succeeded! At the end of the installation SupportAsist opened spontaneously , asked me to re-register my personal details (as expected), and seemed to be working normally. I then closed it. However, ever since SupportAssist has refused to open either in my original User Account or the new User Account. When I click the shortcut on the Start menu a thin white line runs across beneath it and then nothing happens. Any ideas, please?

ShannonXYZ · Answer

Same here. I just got off of a chat with Dell and they claim there are no known issues with support assist! I told him it's been all over the internet since October 2018. His response is they don't rely on the internet. I guess that means he doesn't rely on Dell either since it's on their website!!  If I get a fix, I'll let you know. M.

Trinisle · Answer

Thanks for the info ShannonXYZ. Martin B I also get that white line when I click on the app in the start list and that's it. Maybe at some stage a new version would fix these errors (fingers crossed). For now, I'll keep using the workaround via command prompt.

jbilinski · Answer

We have seen some issues come into the L3 department where SA does not launch and this could happen for a couple of different reasons. We usually check if we can fun via the command line and if that doesn’t work I would recommend a clean uninstall. I know we have an issue with MS with regarding via the MS store in some versions.

Try these steps…

Uninstall SupportAssist via the Control Panel if available

Then delete these directories if they exist

C:\ProgramData\PCDr

C:\ProgramData\SupportAssist

C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent

Try installing via Dell web-site, download and right click and run as administrator

https://downloads.dell.com/serviceability/catalog/SupportAssistInstaller.exe

Command window

open a cmd prompt as Administrator, navigate to the appropriate SupportAssist install path bin folder (example: “C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin”)

type

cd\

cd C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin

and execute command “SupportAssistUI.exe Launch”, no quotes

Could also try removing SA before installing via

Downloaded MS Fix it from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed

If this doesn’t work we would need a IT ticket do the agent can request the required logs

Martin B · Answer

Thank you, Joe - I have now tried the Command Prompt workaround, and SupportAssist opens and runs perfectly!

As it opens from an Admin Command Prompt I feel it should not be too difficult for a programmer to make it open from its Start Menu shortcut - so hopefully this rather fundamental bug will be removed from the next version....

Trinisle · Answer

The first time the SA did not work I got the error notification  that stated Invalid value for registry.   This was before  reinstalling umpteen times and trying everything I read on the site about SA not launching and before the command prompt run command finally helped,  I remember spending some time trying to figure out what Invalid value for registry meant and finally read somewhere it might have to do with launching a picture or logo (Dell logo???) that was causing the problem.  However once I finally got something that worked (command prompt) and not wanting to spend more time on this I forgot about it.  Don't know if this has anything to do with the direct launching or whether it has something to do with the two versions (3.1.30 on the startup app but 3.1.0.142 in programs and features on control panel) or whether they are related.  Just glad I found something that actually worked, albeit in a round about fashion.

DELLKaren · Answer

To get the Support Assist icon on your Desktop, find it in the App list along the left side of the Start Menu, left-click on it, and drag it to your Desktop, where it becomes a shortcut.

Trinisle · Answer

Thanks.  Thought about doing that but since cannot click on an icon to launch I will wait until all is fixed.  No point putting an icon on my display that is unusable.  Thanks again.

Michlab · Answer

Hi Joe - thanks for any insights.

I had various problems with SA and eventually renamed the offending folders you noted to ???.junk

I can install SA but I can only run it when logged in as Admin. In my user account, i get the warning that various functions can only be run as admin - all I get is the ability to run a scan. In my admin account, it runs normally.

If I run a cmd prompt as admin and cd to the relevant folder and run "SupportAssistUI.exe Launch", I get the same limitation as when running the Start menu icon.

However in either account I have to run the Start menu shortcut. I cannot go to the relevant .exe and run as administrator. This is unfortunate as I never login to my admin account - I always runas or get a prompted by whatever application needs admin privileges.

Joe, a few questions:

1. Is this the new normal?

2. Is there a workaround?

3. Is there any intention to change things?

4. Why is SupportAssist so difficult for Dell/PC-Doctor to implement in a normal manner like every other Windows application? Dell software is by far the most fragile software on my windows 10 computers.

Martin B · Answer

Hi everyone, SupportAssist updated automatically to version 3.2.0.90 on my PC today, and I am glad to say that it now opens and runs normally from the Start Menu shortcut....

amindanial · Answer

Unfortunately, supportassist ver. 3.2.0.9 does not sign in to my Dell account.

DELLKaren · Answer

To Trinisle:

This is probably an uneducated question, but why doesn't an icon on your desktop launch when you click on it? All of the app icons on my desktop launch when I click on them. All of the file or folder icons on my desktop open when I click on them. [I can't say that I know THAT much about Windows 10, but I have always thought that the icons are there on the desktop so that you can click on them and launch/open them.]

SupportAssist for PCs

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